Niche Biz: Fertility Yoga

A decade ago when Beth Heller and Tami Quinn opened Pulling Down the Moon in Chicago, “fertility yoga” was little-known. Today, they operate four centers in Illinois and one in Rockville, Md., offering a variety of services to women trying to get pregnant.

â€œNever did we imagine that it would grow into a $1.3 million company,â€ Quinn says. To generate interest in their yoga classes, Heller and Quinn initially sent out marketing materials to area fertility doctors. As the customer base grew, so did the companyâ€™s holistic offerings, which now include acupuncture, nutritional counseling, Chinese herbal medicine and massages.

Pulling Down the Moonâ€™s story is an increasingly familiar one. As the number of fertility doctors has grown, so too has a cottage industry of yoga centers, acupuncturists, nutritionists, massage therapists, online sites and CD-makers that claim to increase a womanâ€™s chances of conceiving. While the scientific evidence is limited, there is growing belief among both doctors and patients that stress-reducing techniques, acupuncture and proper diet can increase the probability of pregnancy.